Well... Today is the first Monday of the new year. Waiting to see if this Monday is any different from the other Mondays in the past. So far it is the same. There is a slight difference to this Monday however. It is the first Monday of this month. This means one more Monday to go through till we get ready to leave for my baby boy's Pre-op. It means 3 more Mondays to go through until we start packing to go to the hospital for the weekend to have his surgery on his kidney done that following Friday.
Today it is 9 days till pre-op appointment and 3 weeks 4 days till surgery. Please God give me strength to get through this month. I am trying to stick to my new found believing of not worrying until that day is here, but it is really hard not to. My baby boy's flawless left side is going to have a scar on it after this month. Another battle scar of life. But it's not the fact of him going to have another scar that brings tears to my eyes even this moment while I type this. It's the thought of my baby being in pain. The thought that something can go wrong. Surgery is not 100% safe. Either option they go with does not always 100% fix things. It can lead to more complications and/or problems. The way our luck goes he catches a lot.
My little guy is one of the strongest people I know. I think he is the only one I know who can go through so much and smile right after. How many children do you know can smile right after having surgery on their lip and palate? Swollen tongue puking up blood from swallowing it during surgery, but still stops to smile and try to say love you. Dear sweet Caelan I love you so much and can't find the words to express how much you being in my life has been a blessing. Every day I worry about your health and what obstacle will pop up next for us I think about how much of a precious angel you are. Every second I get to wrap my arms around you and hold you is a second my day seems to be better. The sweet kisses and love yous I get from you are gifts of love I always treasure. Life is never boring with you around and I know your terror will be placed upon our home, your brothers and our cats for years to come. Hopefully with 2011 starting out with this surgery it is a sign that you will have a healthy happy year ahead of you. No more hospital stays on your birthday. Only happy birthdays. Your second birthday wasn't all that and neither was your 3rd so let's make the 4th one a happy and fun one this year. :)
Hope everyone has a good Monday while your lives return back to the rat race with Vacation being over. Back to the grind stone and the life of running here and there.
Monday, January 3, 2011
Friday, December 31, 2010
8 hours and counting...
It is 8 hours until 2011 graces us with it's presence. I am looking forward to the new year. Most people probably would ask me why considering first thing off the bat this upcoming new year my baby boy will be under going surgery to possibly have his left kidney completely removed. Yes I am nervous about his surgery that is coming up. If I slowed down and thought about it I would be curled up in a ball depressed and crying over it until he had it done and came out completely ok. However one of my new me things I have started is to try and worry less. I have plenty of other things to worry about here and now. I will worry with that when the day is here.
Also me and my husband are hoping to improve our situation the past has dropped us in the middle of. We want to be able to have things on our own and stand on our own two feet and survive again without people holding our hand. With this I am learning how to budget and cut our cost in half on things I can cut in half. We have our few luxuries such as cable tv (which without it we wouldn't even have local channels), internet (which I use to help homeschool my middle child and will be using for help on budgeting and couponing), home phone (helps a lot when I am at home and my cell is dead or decides it doesn't want to pick up a signal), our prepaid cell phones (great for keeping people up to date on how the baby's doctor appointment is going, surgeries or let someone know I am running late so my son isn't left at school with no one to pick him up). We have our video games which we buy as cheap as possible. I have learned if there is a new game released and it cost $60 - $30 new I can probably either find it cheaper used or we can wait till it is marked down for used or new. We can find good games for our PS3 cheap for $10 sometimes. I love to look at online sales and search my favorite sites to see if I can find it cheaper. Sometimes you can find things like that really cheap special sales for store like Toys R Us and so forth.
I am learning a lot about how to save money on things from Health and Beauty items to my groceries I buy each week - month. The way things are now a days every penny saved is a blessing. Now I won't turn into this one lady who had 9 buggies full of stuff on Extreme Couponers who bought over $1000 worth for $50 and some change. This woman no lie bought thousands of boxes of pasta! Over 100 candy bars. I do plan on still being healthy with my choices. I am not going to fill my entire house with stuff that will either waste or cause health problems just, because I can get this much stuff for almost free. One guy even bought tons of hand soap just because he could get them all for free with his coupons. That is insane. Who is going to use 50 things of hand soap? I might "stockpile" 10 bottles of it at most, but that is because I have 3 children 8 and under. They can go through some hand soap now. Toothpaste too! My youngest thinks he must clean the counter, sink and his body with toothpaste sometimes. Our bathroom shall never have cavities.
Another thing I am looking forward to in 2011. Telling certain people who seem to enjoy holding stuff over my head and making me feel bad about myself bye. I will hopefully have every person who holds me back removed for good from my life. I don't care who said people are or whatever so called role they play in my life or past they will no longer be here for my future. I do not want negativity in my future, life or family anymore. My new motto for 2011 is going to be positive thinking, positive motivating and a can do attitude. I know I will probably still think I can't sometimes I am human after all, but I am hoping to push most of the I can't out and have more Can do. Even if I have to say I can do this, but I will need some help to do so. I will not be afraid to ask for help when needed. I will be a little more selective on who I except said help from, because again a certain negative nelly likes to hold her help over someone's head and say you owe me where is mine. Be it money, time or help back. These are the type of people I want to erase from my life and my future. I hope to not come across anymore like this either.
Now with that all said I sit and wait for the new year to come in. Also another thing I look forward to in 2011. The last day of 2011. Not because it will bring another new year or because I will be closer to being another year older, but because each year I end weither it is full of mostly good or mostly bad stuff I end it with my husband and children. I end it with another year I have been married to my loving husband. We have had our good and our bad times. Our ups and our downs. Every marriage has them and that is what makes a marriage "perfect", because your spouse stood beside your side through them all and excepts you still this day the way they did in the beginning. They look at you with love, caring and kindness. They don't look at you and think your imperfect. To them no matter what you are always perfect. 2011 will bring my 10 year wedding anniversary on the last day of the year. So as I celebrate my 9 year wedding anniversary today I am bringing in a new year and a fresh beginning with my husband and my children by my side.
Hope everyone has a Happy, Healthy and Safe New Year!
See you in 2011,
Wendy aka Momma
Also me and my husband are hoping to improve our situation the past has dropped us in the middle of. We want to be able to have things on our own and stand on our own two feet and survive again without people holding our hand. With this I am learning how to budget and cut our cost in half on things I can cut in half. We have our few luxuries such as cable tv (which without it we wouldn't even have local channels), internet (which I use to help homeschool my middle child and will be using for help on budgeting and couponing), home phone (helps a lot when I am at home and my cell is dead or decides it doesn't want to pick up a signal), our prepaid cell phones (great for keeping people up to date on how the baby's doctor appointment is going, surgeries or let someone know I am running late so my son isn't left at school with no one to pick him up). We have our video games which we buy as cheap as possible. I have learned if there is a new game released and it cost $60 - $30 new I can probably either find it cheaper used or we can wait till it is marked down for used or new. We can find good games for our PS3 cheap for $10 sometimes. I love to look at online sales and search my favorite sites to see if I can find it cheaper. Sometimes you can find things like that really cheap special sales for store like Toys R Us and so forth.
I am learning a lot about how to save money on things from Health and Beauty items to my groceries I buy each week - month. The way things are now a days every penny saved is a blessing. Now I won't turn into this one lady who had 9 buggies full of stuff on Extreme Couponers who bought over $1000 worth for $50 and some change. This woman no lie bought thousands of boxes of pasta! Over 100 candy bars. I do plan on still being healthy with my choices. I am not going to fill my entire house with stuff that will either waste or cause health problems just, because I can get this much stuff for almost free. One guy even bought tons of hand soap just because he could get them all for free with his coupons. That is insane. Who is going to use 50 things of hand soap? I might "stockpile" 10 bottles of it at most, but that is because I have 3 children 8 and under. They can go through some hand soap now. Toothpaste too! My youngest thinks he must clean the counter, sink and his body with toothpaste sometimes. Our bathroom shall never have cavities.
Another thing I am looking forward to in 2011. Telling certain people who seem to enjoy holding stuff over my head and making me feel bad about myself bye. I will hopefully have every person who holds me back removed for good from my life. I don't care who said people are or whatever so called role they play in my life or past they will no longer be here for my future. I do not want negativity in my future, life or family anymore. My new motto for 2011 is going to be positive thinking, positive motivating and a can do attitude. I know I will probably still think I can't sometimes I am human after all, but I am hoping to push most of the I can't out and have more Can do. Even if I have to say I can do this, but I will need some help to do so. I will not be afraid to ask for help when needed. I will be a little more selective on who I except said help from, because again a certain negative nelly likes to hold her help over someone's head and say you owe me where is mine. Be it money, time or help back. These are the type of people I want to erase from my life and my future. I hope to not come across anymore like this either.
Now with that all said I sit and wait for the new year to come in. Also another thing I look forward to in 2011. The last day of 2011. Not because it will bring another new year or because I will be closer to being another year older, but because each year I end weither it is full of mostly good or mostly bad stuff I end it with my husband and children. I end it with another year I have been married to my loving husband. We have had our good and our bad times. Our ups and our downs. Every marriage has them and that is what makes a marriage "perfect", because your spouse stood beside your side through them all and excepts you still this day the way they did in the beginning. They look at you with love, caring and kindness. They don't look at you and think your imperfect. To them no matter what you are always perfect. 2011 will bring my 10 year wedding anniversary on the last day of the year. So as I celebrate my 9 year wedding anniversary today I am bringing in a new year and a fresh beginning with my husband and my children by my side.
Hope everyone has a Happy, Healthy and Safe New Year!
See you in 2011,
Wendy aka Momma
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Top Ten Tuesday... 2010
Well A Twitter friend of mine does this really neat little thing every Tuesday. It is called Top Ten Tuesday. She list a top ten list of different things for different topics. Anywhere from favorite holiday memory to favorite children's books. Her blog is totally awesome by the way and you guys should totally check it out here:
Now here is my Top Ten Tuesday List...
The Top Ten (good and bad) of 2010.
*10* Spending New Year Day as a family after the year we had in 2009.
*09* My awesome birthday. It was the first time my baby boy sucked through a straw. :) This was a huge accomplishment and meant his Palate surgery worked out great!
*08* 2 days after my awesome birthday my baby boy ended up in the hospital. This was also 2 days before his birthday (which was not so awesome).
*07* My baby boy's 3rd birthday. Even though he spent it in the hospital hooked up to an IV we made it a special day. I cried though, because his nurses came in to take blood and do a cath on him. He was all happy and was telling them "It's my Birthday". After being so happy and excited that it was his birthday he had to endure pain. Unfortunately this memory still makes me cry.
*06* Being told my baby boy's left kidney was abnormal and enlarged.
*05* All of the trips to the doctor in Shreveport once a month. My little guy really is a strong one to deal with all of the test and trips. He definitely is stronger than his mommy.
*04* Thanksgiving 2010... Filled with lots and lots of food. We even took a Thanksgiving Dinner to a family who doesn't have a lot.
*03* Cub Scouts till they made me mad, never got organized and I am still waiting on my refund.
*02* Being told my baby boy is looking at having his kidney removed if they can't remove the blockage in the first month of 2011.
*01* Spending my 9 year wedding anniversary with my family on New Years Eve where we can ring in the New Year together as always. :)
These are the 10 memories good and bad that came to mind in that order. I saved my Wedding Anniversary for last, because that is a day yet to come. :) 3 days to go till 2011 is here.
If you have a Top Ten and want to join in just simply link up to Sluiter Nation's Top Ten (above) and have fun with it!
Now here is my Top Ten Tuesday List...
The Top Ten (good and bad) of 2010.
*10* Spending New Year Day as a family after the year we had in 2009.
*09* My awesome birthday. It was the first time my baby boy sucked through a straw. :) This was a huge accomplishment and meant his Palate surgery worked out great!
*08* 2 days after my awesome birthday my baby boy ended up in the hospital. This was also 2 days before his birthday (which was not so awesome).
*07* My baby boy's 3rd birthday. Even though he spent it in the hospital hooked up to an IV we made it a special day. I cried though, because his nurses came in to take blood and do a cath on him. He was all happy and was telling them "It's my Birthday". After being so happy and excited that it was his birthday he had to endure pain. Unfortunately this memory still makes me cry.
*06* Being told my baby boy's left kidney was abnormal and enlarged.
*05* All of the trips to the doctor in Shreveport once a month. My little guy really is a strong one to deal with all of the test and trips. He definitely is stronger than his mommy.
*04* Thanksgiving 2010... Filled with lots and lots of food. We even took a Thanksgiving Dinner to a family who doesn't have a lot.
*03* Cub Scouts till they made me mad, never got organized and I am still waiting on my refund.
*02* Being told my baby boy is looking at having his kidney removed if they can't remove the blockage in the first month of 2011.
*01* Spending my 9 year wedding anniversary with my family on New Years Eve where we can ring in the New Year together as always. :)
These are the 10 memories good and bad that came to mind in that order. I saved my Wedding Anniversary for last, because that is a day yet to come. :) 3 days to go till 2011 is here.
If you have a Top Ten and want to join in just simply link up to Sluiter Nation's Top Ten (above) and have fun with it!
Monday, December 27, 2010
Christmas has come and gone...
The week following up to Christmas for me was a rough one. My mother had come to stay with us for at most 2 days. It went from well 2 days to 4 days. From 4 days to she was living with us. All of this without asking or consulting with me and my husband. There was no adult conversation about any of it. She tried to use my children against us on her weaseling in. End result... I had to kick her out of my home day before Christmas Eve. I had to be the bad daughter she tells everyone I am so I could be a good mother and keep my children healthy.
My mother is a smoker you see. Our home is a smoke free home. My husband quit smoking 3 years ago and even now he will smoke a cigar once in a blue moon. He smokes way out away from the house and the smell is not brought in off of his clothes. My mother went from smoking away from the house to smoking in front of the front door where the stink and smoke would seep in due to my baby boy opening the front door to see where grandma is. She then stopped spraying febreeze on herself which allowed it to come in strong on her clothes.
My house smelt like an ashtray. My youngest and my oldest were getting sick with sinus colds from it. When she was told of this her deal was no there is a virus going around. I told her she had to leave because she couldn't respect my children's health. She also claimed the stink was all in my head and/or I was just making it up to be a Bitch to her. When I tried to explain to her why she can't smell herself she started yelling about yea she's a smoker and blah blah blah. This is when I told her she had to leave and not come back.
Mind you I have not heard from my so called mother since. That is until 1 something today. She texted me wanting me to run her errands for her, because she has no way to go. Never got a Merry Christmas from her. Never got a text letting me know she got my text about her mail she got in Friday. Never even asked how her grandchildren's Christmas was. That's right. My "mother" is one of these people that if it is not all about her she does not care. Unless it is her giving my children tons of stuff for Christmas to make them happy and telling them it is all from her then she thinks they don't need it. She was mad because I spent money on them instead of giving her said money.
Now on to our Christmas. Night before Christmas Eve after she was gone that day was good. It was relaxed more and my head actually stopped hurting. I was suffering from horrid migraines and chest pains while she was here. I am guessing high blood pressure since my resting heart rate was high. We did a little brave shopping night before Christmas Eve. Went to GameStop and got some PS3 games to go with the new PS3. Told the children the games were for someone else not us, because we don't have a PS3. Went and ate at Raising Canes and enjoyed some family time. Did the bravest thing ever and adventured into Walmart. My husband picked up a last minute gift for our middle son, because Walmart finally had what he asked for in. Bought my Anniversary gift and had it sent off to be sized (it is a beautiful ring thats nice and sparkles). Had to get some pie crust and a few other things. Walmart wasn't horribly bad. Just a bit busy.
We then came home and surprised the kids with the PS3 (which we are renting for the time being from Rent a Center until We are able to buy one) just to find out surprise the PS3 isn't sending out video to the TV. Returned that one on Friday and got a PS3 move for a loaner. It is really neat! We have enjoyed it. I like the fact I can watch Netflix on my TV through it. Christmas day came and my husband cooked the turkey and his pumpkin pies. I made the sides and some pumpkin bread. Also made some rice krispy treats. My brother in law came and brought his wife and youngest son along with him. We all ate and chatted. Watched Salt after we all ate and the kids went and played. It was a nice evening.
Day after Christmas (yesterday) we relaxed around the house and then that evening went to my cousin's house. The kids got to play and had some more Christmas stuff waiting for them there. They made out like bandits this year with presents from us, Santa and my cousin and her boyfriend. They all were happy with what they got and who they got to see. It was a nice Christmas. We had a few emotional break downs amongst the little ones. It is to be expected, but all in all it was great.
Now here it sits 4 days to New Years Eve. Not only the day we say good bye to the old year and get ready for the new, but also the day I will be celebrating my 9 year wedding Anniversary. Mind you we had planned to do something special this day, because my mother was going to babysit my kids while we went out somewhere and ate just us. Now we have to plan something less extravagant and include the children in our plans. It is all good though. We will be ringing in the new year together as a family. We are happy and healthy (for the most part considering my little guy has surgery coming up in the first month of the new year) and we will all be together.
I am ready to say hello to 2011. I will take with me the good things I got from 2010 and say good bye to the bad. I will be ready to start a new and improve what I can from the mistakes I have learned from. I will hold my head up high. I will not let others bring me down (this is a new found strength I have learned to have in my life again after it was lost for many years). I will not be as hard on myself and will remind myself daily I am not perfect, but it is ok to stride to be better. I am ready to make new memories in 2011.
My mother is a smoker you see. Our home is a smoke free home. My husband quit smoking 3 years ago and even now he will smoke a cigar once in a blue moon. He smokes way out away from the house and the smell is not brought in off of his clothes. My mother went from smoking away from the house to smoking in front of the front door where the stink and smoke would seep in due to my baby boy opening the front door to see where grandma is. She then stopped spraying febreeze on herself which allowed it to come in strong on her clothes.
My house smelt like an ashtray. My youngest and my oldest were getting sick with sinus colds from it. When she was told of this her deal was no there is a virus going around. I told her she had to leave because she couldn't respect my children's health. She also claimed the stink was all in my head and/or I was just making it up to be a Bitch to her. When I tried to explain to her why she can't smell herself she started yelling about yea she's a smoker and blah blah blah. This is when I told her she had to leave and not come back.
Mind you I have not heard from my so called mother since. That is until 1 something today. She texted me wanting me to run her errands for her, because she has no way to go. Never got a Merry Christmas from her. Never got a text letting me know she got my text about her mail she got in Friday. Never even asked how her grandchildren's Christmas was. That's right. My "mother" is one of these people that if it is not all about her she does not care. Unless it is her giving my children tons of stuff for Christmas to make them happy and telling them it is all from her then she thinks they don't need it. She was mad because I spent money on them instead of giving her said money.
Now on to our Christmas. Night before Christmas Eve after she was gone that day was good. It was relaxed more and my head actually stopped hurting. I was suffering from horrid migraines and chest pains while she was here. I am guessing high blood pressure since my resting heart rate was high. We did a little brave shopping night before Christmas Eve. Went to GameStop and got some PS3 games to go with the new PS3. Told the children the games were for someone else not us, because we don't have a PS3. Went and ate at Raising Canes and enjoyed some family time. Did the bravest thing ever and adventured into Walmart. My husband picked up a last minute gift for our middle son, because Walmart finally had what he asked for in. Bought my Anniversary gift and had it sent off to be sized (it is a beautiful ring thats nice and sparkles). Had to get some pie crust and a few other things. Walmart wasn't horribly bad. Just a bit busy.
We then came home and surprised the kids with the PS3 (which we are renting for the time being from Rent a Center until We are able to buy one) just to find out surprise the PS3 isn't sending out video to the TV. Returned that one on Friday and got a PS3 move for a loaner. It is really neat! We have enjoyed it. I like the fact I can watch Netflix on my TV through it. Christmas day came and my husband cooked the turkey and his pumpkin pies. I made the sides and some pumpkin bread. Also made some rice krispy treats. My brother in law came and brought his wife and youngest son along with him. We all ate and chatted. Watched Salt after we all ate and the kids went and played. It was a nice evening.
Day after Christmas (yesterday) we relaxed around the house and then that evening went to my cousin's house. The kids got to play and had some more Christmas stuff waiting for them there. They made out like bandits this year with presents from us, Santa and my cousin and her boyfriend. They all were happy with what they got and who they got to see. It was a nice Christmas. We had a few emotional break downs amongst the little ones. It is to be expected, but all in all it was great.
Now here it sits 4 days to New Years Eve. Not only the day we say good bye to the old year and get ready for the new, but also the day I will be celebrating my 9 year wedding Anniversary. Mind you we had planned to do something special this day, because my mother was going to babysit my kids while we went out somewhere and ate just us. Now we have to plan something less extravagant and include the children in our plans. It is all good though. We will be ringing in the new year together as a family. We are happy and healthy (for the most part considering my little guy has surgery coming up in the first month of the new year) and we will all be together.
I am ready to say hello to 2011. I will take with me the good things I got from 2010 and say good bye to the bad. I will be ready to start a new and improve what I can from the mistakes I have learned from. I will hold my head up high. I will not let others bring me down (this is a new found strength I have learned to have in my life again after it was lost for many years). I will not be as hard on myself and will remind myself daily I am not perfect, but it is ok to stride to be better. I am ready to make new memories in 2011.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Merry Freakin' Christmas...
This holiday has not turned out the way I wish it would have. I have been trying to be in the Christmas spirit. Have been trying to remember the reason for the season. I have had my ups and my downs this year during the holidays, but who doesn't. Money is always a factor of stress in our home. Money has gone to being one of the last things on my mind as of yesterday afternoon. Right now I could careless if we went broke, because all I can think about is the words the doctor spoke. "We are doing surgery on January 28th. We might be looking at removing his entire left kidney."
Surgery alone on your child is scary enough, but to hear they might have to remove one of your child's organs. This is extremely scary and honestly I have held back my tears as long as I could. I can't hold them back any longer. Nightmares have started of what could happen. Worry and fear is starting to set in. It is so hard to be a parent and be strong for your child. I would love to know those with the secret to how they stay so cool under pressure.
How am I supposed to sit and be happy this Christmas knowing in a little over a month my baby boy is going to be cut open and possibly come home in lack of one organ? How am I suppose to enjoy the little joys of life with my kids this holiday? I want to smile and be happy with them. I want to do fun Christmas related things, but in the back of my mind I keep thinking about "surgery" and "removing kidney". Then I choke back and try as hard as I can to hold back my tears. Everything happens for a reason. However I am still trying to figure out the reason for all of this happening. I guess just another one of life's test.
Surgery alone on your child is scary enough, but to hear they might have to remove one of your child's organs. This is extremely scary and honestly I have held back my tears as long as I could. I can't hold them back any longer. Nightmares have started of what could happen. Worry and fear is starting to set in. It is so hard to be a parent and be strong for your child. I would love to know those with the secret to how they stay so cool under pressure.
How am I supposed to sit and be happy this Christmas knowing in a little over a month my baby boy is going to be cut open and possibly come home in lack of one organ? How am I suppose to enjoy the little joys of life with my kids this holiday? I want to smile and be happy with them. I want to do fun Christmas related things, but in the back of my mind I keep thinking about "surgery" and "removing kidney". Then I choke back and try as hard as I can to hold back my tears. Everything happens for a reason. However I am still trying to figure out the reason for all of this happening. I guess just another one of life's test.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Ding a ling a ling...
Please Donate this Holiday Season and help those who are really in need and deserve a little bit of a miracle.
Dynamic fundraising meter for your Red Kettle campaign.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Here comes Santa Claus...
I hope all of you have had a chance to read my blog about the family in Oregon. Well I received an email over the weekend from a freecycle.com yahoo group I am in. A person was asking for clothes for children in a family in need. This family moved to Louisiana a month ago from up north. They had stuff stored at a friends house for the time being. Here recently there has been a lot of rain and well the "friends" for some reason left the tarps off of the familys belongings. They lost EVERYTHING. All of their clothes and shoes. Furniture, towels, kitchen stuff... When I say everything I mean everything. Things that takes awhile for people to be able to get up for their home. Their clothes for themselves and all 4 children. Even shoes.
This story hit me like the one I blogged about last week. It reminded me greatly of what had happened to that family. The father even is working a low income job which might bring in 200 a week if that and does odd jobs on the side to try and make ends meet. Our Cub Scout Den is going to be helping this family out this month and next month along side a community group hopefully. I am hoping our whole Cub Scout Pack will be doing this so we can do a good donation drive to collect stuff this month and next month for this family. It breaks my heart that things like this can happen to families with such small children. It is really sad.
My younger two kids are even going to go through their toys and pick out some they no longer play with to give to these kids for Christmas. This is a good lesson for any child. If any of you want to teach your kids the true meaning of Christmas and some really good Values pick a family who is in need out from some different sites online. Cafemom.com has groups where people ask for help or join something like freecycle. There are plenty of sites and groups out there where people who need help or even people who know someone who needs help post up asking for it. It is a really good lesson in life for kids and just remember Karma shows when it needs to. I help people out when I can and how ever I can, because I know one day that was me and it could be me again.
Monday, November 8, 2010
I hate getting sick!
Well the flu caught me this weekend. I just wasnt fast enough to get away from it. While I have been sick I have been able to do a little reading. I love to read. My favorite types of books are things like the Twilight series, Harry Potter series, Morganville Vampire series, The Vampire Diaries series, The Red Tent and The DaVinci Code. Yes most of these books are vampire stories. The last two are actually pre-Christianity related. Love books based off of old faiths and beliefs. Vampire books are just like romance novels, but with a bite to them. Yes poor joke I know. It is the cold meds. Well I surfed Youtube this morning and found an awesome IJustine video to share. I love IJustine. She is Youtube awesomeness.
Gotta love those sparkling vampires. Now I shall go and space some more and hopefully get well soon. I hate getting sick. Blah.
Gotta love those sparkling vampires. Now I shall go and space some more and hopefully get well soon. I hate getting sick. Blah.
Friday, November 5, 2010
Through the eyes of a child...
I have so many great memories as a child. One being the holidays. I loved Christmas and always looked forward to it. I grew up with a grandmother who was a big kid. She loved Christmas I think more than the grandkids did. She loved to make us happy and see us smile. She taught me the values of what Christmas was all about. I remember the first Barbie and Ken I ever got too. So many favorite memories with my grandmother was during the holidays.
When I got older and was too old to look forward to a visit from Santa I learned the true meaning of Santa. Santa is real by the way just so all of you who say no Santa is not real know otherwise. Santa use to be a real person. Now he is a memory. A tradition carried on. When you give to someone without expecting anything back just doing it to feel warmth from their happiness and smiles you are helping Santa live on. I have another memory I hold dear to me. When I was 17 years old I worked for 2 ladies working in their horse barn. One of the ladies was working on a Doll house for some little girls. I sat down watching her work on it one night and me being the questioning type played 20 questions with her about the doll house and why was she making it. This family of 7 I think it was had fallen on hard times. They came to Oregon in hopes of living the all American dream basicly. They wanted to live in a nice place in the country where the kids could have values and live safely. They got tricked into buying a house that had no lights, no windows and only one wood heater in the middle of the living room.
I went home that night and told my mom the story about this family that I had just been told. Not only were they cheated out of a safe and warm home, but the father was out of work. Only income was what him and his older boys done on the side for extra cash. This money went towards things like gas for the generator, vehicle and things to start making the house a home. They lost so much when they made such a big move and realized their dream was actually a nightmare. I was saddened and would watch this lady work on the doll house each evening before she would give me a ride home. I finally decided to ask if I could do something for the family also, because me being 17 years old with a pack rat mother I still had toys from when I was 5 years old. Including that very first Barbie doll my grandmother gave me for Christmas.
I got together all of the boy related toys such as Cars and stuff like that I had packed up. I went through my big box of Barbie dolls and Barbie clothes. I fixed up dolls I had since the early 80s and some I had since the early 90s. I fixed up baby dolls I had all of my childhood and stuffed animals. Keyboards with new batteries (which I paid for out of my paycheck), a small black and white tv (so they could watch the weather and what not w/ the generator), Jackets, Clothes. I had so much stuff together and in bags ready to go. I even stayed up all night baking Christmas cookies. I went Christmas Eve night before the family came to their friends for dinner and left my used goodies for the kids. None were wrapped, but they were set out nicely. Same as what you would see done by Santa himself. I felt a little sad that I myself couldnt afford to buy lots of new things for this family or give them the money they needed to have a proper home, but at least they would know that even a stranger cared and there are still warm hearts out there.
When I went to leave the lady (the friend of the family they were helping) begged me to take my Barbies back and save them due to the fact of how old they were and that they were in such good condition. I told her no I wanted a little girl to enjoy them as much as I had. I picked up the one my grandmother had given me and explained to her how special that one particular one was to me and why. I told her my grandmother gave it to me to make me happy and smile and now I wanted to pass that happiness the doll brought me down to another special little girl. I explained that my dolls were not going to make me happy unless I know they were putting smiles on someone elses face instead of sitting in a box collecting dust. My grandmother always taught me that in the end our material objects dont go with us and everything decays if it is not loved and is forgotten.
I went back home that evening and the lady who took me to drop my stuff off with her doll house told my mom proud she should be of how I turned out. She told my mom and her room mate about what I had told the lady about my Barbies. We went home and my mom told my step dad about it also. My step dad had offered for this family to have our fully cooked Christmas dinner and said we could always get something else to have for our Dinner. This is the type of people I had around me helping me grow and learn all my life. The following day when the ladies who I worked for came over to have Christmas dinner with us they said they heard from the people about the family. This family excepted everything I brought for them, but they would not take the new gifts everyone else had gotten for them and their children including the doll house. They said the used gifts meant more to them and did not seem like charity to them, because it was not money out of someones pocket to provide for them. They cried and smiled over my gifts and were happy to see that not just another human being had a heart, but that they came from someone who wasnt even an adult yet. It made them feel like there is hope out there for them to get to where they needed to be just because of a simple kind gesture from a child.
To this day I try to instill the same values into my children. It is hard at times, because of outside influences. My kids are some of the kindest kids you can ever meet though. They will help each other and someone else in a heart beat without asking too many questions (unless it is me and deals with chores). My children know the meaning of Christmas and even when we have been down, whatever we have gotten help wise for holidays we have used to make at least one child smile as well. Last year it was a simple $20 on Dollar Tree Christmas gifts to my brother in laws boys and a few board games. Even if it is small it can still bring a lot of love and joy to someones heart. So while you guys are shopping this holiday season and maxing out your credit cards just remember not everyone has this luxury. Donate a few unwrapped toys to the local Toys for Tots. Find out who a local family is that may need a little help and be a Secret Santa. I know last year when we were down to rock bottom the simplest things made us realize even the impossible was possible. You just have to believe. That is what the Holiday season is all about to make everyone remember it is all about believing.
Believe
When I got older and was too old to look forward to a visit from Santa I learned the true meaning of Santa. Santa is real by the way just so all of you who say no Santa is not real know otherwise. Santa use to be a real person. Now he is a memory. A tradition carried on. When you give to someone without expecting anything back just doing it to feel warmth from their happiness and smiles you are helping Santa live on. I have another memory I hold dear to me. When I was 17 years old I worked for 2 ladies working in their horse barn. One of the ladies was working on a Doll house for some little girls. I sat down watching her work on it one night and me being the questioning type played 20 questions with her about the doll house and why was she making it. This family of 7 I think it was had fallen on hard times. They came to Oregon in hopes of living the all American dream basicly. They wanted to live in a nice place in the country where the kids could have values and live safely. They got tricked into buying a house that had no lights, no windows and only one wood heater in the middle of the living room.
I went home that night and told my mom the story about this family that I had just been told. Not only were they cheated out of a safe and warm home, but the father was out of work. Only income was what him and his older boys done on the side for extra cash. This money went towards things like gas for the generator, vehicle and things to start making the house a home. They lost so much when they made such a big move and realized their dream was actually a nightmare. I was saddened and would watch this lady work on the doll house each evening before she would give me a ride home. I finally decided to ask if I could do something for the family also, because me being 17 years old with a pack rat mother I still had toys from when I was 5 years old. Including that very first Barbie doll my grandmother gave me for Christmas.
I got together all of the boy related toys such as Cars and stuff like that I had packed up. I went through my big box of Barbie dolls and Barbie clothes. I fixed up dolls I had since the early 80s and some I had since the early 90s. I fixed up baby dolls I had all of my childhood and stuffed animals. Keyboards with new batteries (which I paid for out of my paycheck), a small black and white tv (so they could watch the weather and what not w/ the generator), Jackets, Clothes. I had so much stuff together and in bags ready to go. I even stayed up all night baking Christmas cookies. I went Christmas Eve night before the family came to their friends for dinner and left my used goodies for the kids. None were wrapped, but they were set out nicely. Same as what you would see done by Santa himself. I felt a little sad that I myself couldnt afford to buy lots of new things for this family or give them the money they needed to have a proper home, but at least they would know that even a stranger cared and there are still warm hearts out there.
When I went to leave the lady (the friend of the family they were helping) begged me to take my Barbies back and save them due to the fact of how old they were and that they were in such good condition. I told her no I wanted a little girl to enjoy them as much as I had. I picked up the one my grandmother had given me and explained to her how special that one particular one was to me and why. I told her my grandmother gave it to me to make me happy and smile and now I wanted to pass that happiness the doll brought me down to another special little girl. I explained that my dolls were not going to make me happy unless I know they were putting smiles on someone elses face instead of sitting in a box collecting dust. My grandmother always taught me that in the end our material objects dont go with us and everything decays if it is not loved and is forgotten.
I went back home that evening and the lady who took me to drop my stuff off with her doll house told my mom proud she should be of how I turned out. She told my mom and her room mate about what I had told the lady about my Barbies. We went home and my mom told my step dad about it also. My step dad had offered for this family to have our fully cooked Christmas dinner and said we could always get something else to have for our Dinner. This is the type of people I had around me helping me grow and learn all my life. The following day when the ladies who I worked for came over to have Christmas dinner with us they said they heard from the people about the family. This family excepted everything I brought for them, but they would not take the new gifts everyone else had gotten for them and their children including the doll house. They said the used gifts meant more to them and did not seem like charity to them, because it was not money out of someones pocket to provide for them. They cried and smiled over my gifts and were happy to see that not just another human being had a heart, but that they came from someone who wasnt even an adult yet. It made them feel like there is hope out there for them to get to where they needed to be just because of a simple kind gesture from a child.
To this day I try to instill the same values into my children. It is hard at times, because of outside influences. My kids are some of the kindest kids you can ever meet though. They will help each other and someone else in a heart beat without asking too many questions (unless it is me and deals with chores). My children know the meaning of Christmas and even when we have been down, whatever we have gotten help wise for holidays we have used to make at least one child smile as well. Last year it was a simple $20 on Dollar Tree Christmas gifts to my brother in laws boys and a few board games. Even if it is small it can still bring a lot of love and joy to someones heart. So while you guys are shopping this holiday season and maxing out your credit cards just remember not everyone has this luxury. Donate a few unwrapped toys to the local Toys for Tots. Find out who a local family is that may need a little help and be a Secret Santa. I know last year when we were down to rock bottom the simplest things made us realize even the impossible was possible. You just have to believe. That is what the Holiday season is all about to make everyone remember it is all about believing.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
These pictures say it all...
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Holidays are just around the corner!
Hope everyone had a fun and safe Halloween! I know we did. Too much candy though!
Now here is my problem. We have a tight income. Christmas is coming up. I have this month and next month to buy stuff for the kids gifts. We of course have our bills we have to pay. Whatever cost now for my oldest son's Cub Scouts.
How do you cut bills in half? How do you cut the pesky grocery bill in half for that fact. I have tried and have yet to succeed. It is hard to get everyone in my house on board and still be able to eat healthy myself. I am supposed to be on a strict diet due to my liver and other health issues. I am the only one in my household who can live without any kind of meat. I can live off of fruits and veges. Everyone else wants junk or meat and potatoes.
How do I get my family on board?
Now here is my problem. We have a tight income. Christmas is coming up. I have this month and next month to buy stuff for the kids gifts. We of course have our bills we have to pay. Whatever cost now for my oldest son's Cub Scouts.
How do you cut bills in half? How do you cut the pesky grocery bill in half for that fact. I have tried and have yet to succeed. It is hard to get everyone in my house on board and still be able to eat healthy myself. I am supposed to be on a strict diet due to my liver and other health issues. I am the only one in my household who can live without any kind of meat. I can live off of fruits and veges. Everyone else wants junk or meat and potatoes.
How do I get my family on board?
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